Motor-propelled agricultural machine



5am l, w24 l y vv. N. sPRuNGER MOTOR 'PROPELLED AGICULTURAL MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet Filed Aug. 50, 1917 W. N. SPRINGER MOTOR PRUPELLED AGRICULTURAL MACHINE jan. 1, 1924 www@ Filed Aug. 3o. 1917 l 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 .Ham l, 3924 W. N. SPRINGER MOTOR PROPELLED AGRICULTURAL MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Aug. 30 H1917 .Ham l, i924 gg 1 W. N. SPRINGER MOTOR PROPELLED AGRICULTURAL MACHINE Fild Aug. .'50, 1917 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 nu' m Em L w24 www2 W. N. SPRINGER MOTOR PRQPELLED AGRICULTURAL MACHINE Filed Aug. 30. 1917 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 l i l A Amulu lllllljllllllllll Patented Jan. l, 1924.

WILLIAM N. SPRINGER, OF PEORIA, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, A

TO GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, CORPORATION 0F DELAWARE.

Application led August 30, 1917. Serial No.) 189,017.

' a citizen of the United States, av resident of Peoria, in the. county of .Peoria and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Mot-or-Propelled Agricultural Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This propelled particularly agricultural machines and relates to a two-row cultivator, the source ot' power being mounted on a frame supported at its front on a. pair of traction driving wheels, and at its rear on a single centrally `disposed caster wheel, having a swiveled connection with an under-traine pivotally connected with said motor supporting frame; the cultivating instrumentalities being connected with said underfraine.

The invention has reference further. to a motor propelledV cultivator, comprising a main trame mounted upon a pair ot forward traction driving wheels; an undertrame having a pivotal connection with the main frame at the front thereof and mediate said traction wheels, the rear of said underframe mounted on a swiveled caster wheel, having Jfoot rests vt'or the operator by means of which the cultivator may be guided, the heanis for the cultivating shovels having a pivotal connection with said pivoted under-trame. and means Jfor raising and lowering said beams.

The invention turther embodies a xpower transmitting mechanism between the motor and tract ion driving wheels, so constructed and arranged that the .operator may control the operation of said transmission and. direct the movement ot' the machine in :i forward or backward direction. und Jor the. purpose ot' turning the machine in its own tracks. or upon the traction wheels at either side of the machine.

Other objects and aims of the invention will he more fully understood from the following description and drawings forming `a part thereot'` in which t Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my improved motor propelled cultivator.

Fig. L) is a plan view ot Fig. 1:

Fig. 3 is a `view similar to Fig. :2 except that the motor and transmission has heen reinvention has reference to motor moved, and lthe under-frame and cultivating instrumentalities ai'e shown in dotted lines swung to one side;

Fig. 4 is a detail view showing in side elevation, the transmission mechanism between the motor and traction driving wheels;

Fig. 5 is a verticalxtransv'erse sectional View showing in detail*the transmission, and

Fig. 6 is a detail in section, power connection between the transmission.

Like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the figures.

The frame- The showing the motor and t intermediate the ends of the cross-bar l;

the centrally" disposed"longitudinal bar 5 connecting the front and rear 'ba-rsa1 and 3; the bars 6, 6 on either sidel of the bar 5 and connecting the bars 1 and 3, and the spaced parallel rods 7, 7 extending transversely ot' themain frame and secured in hearings t), att-ached to the side-bars 2.

The under pivoted frame is slightly longer than the main frame but not quite so wide and includes the centrally disposed longitudinal har 9 and the side. bars 9a, 9 which have. the converging forward portions 10, and together with the bars 9a, 9a, have a pivotal connection at 4 with the bar 1 ot the main frame; the transversely disposed bar 11 connecting the bars 9a. 9, near their rear ends; the Seat supporting bars 12. l2 connected to and extending rearwardlv from the cross-bar 11 and having a verse har l-'lconnecting the seat liars l2, 1;), and the bars l5. l5 which are .secured at their toi-ward ends to the inside of the side hars 0"-, S, and their rear ends secured to the cross-har 14.

The main t'rame supports the motor and transmission. and the pivoted uii `lertraiiie has .connected therewith the cultivating instruinentalities and controlling means. as

will he more tullv explained.

Tmnsmiason.--The motor 1G is preferably a gasoline engine/ot anjv si'ifitahle tvpe. frame/parts 1T. lT and 1S supported upon main fra-me. includes ypreferably the front cross-bar 1 the outside shaftf19`.has a bearing in a standard 2O mounted upon the central longitudinal bar 5 and on the rear end of said engine shaftV is secured a bevel pinion 21 meshing with and adapted to drive a bevel gear 22 on a driving shaft 23, the opposite ends of which are journaled in brackets 24, 24, mounted on the longitudinally disposed bars 6, 6, ot' the main frame. On this driving shaft, on either side of the standard are secured a pair of forward dri-ving pulleys 25, 25, and a pair of rearward driving pulleys 26, 26. Having a bearing 111 the upper ends of the brackets 24 1s a cross shaft 27 on which vis loosely carried a pair of idler pulleyv wheels 28, 28,.one in line with each of the forward driving pulleys on the shaft 23. 29, 29 designate axially aligned sections of a counter shaft, the outer ends of the said shaft sections having bearing in boxings 30 secured to the underside of the longitudinally disposed bars 2 and 6 of the main frame, andthe ends of said shaft sections are journaled in a common boxing 31 secured to the underside of the central bar 5. Cn each counter shaft section 29 is secured a large driving pulley wheel 32, the. face of which is equal tothe combined faces of the pulley wheels 25 and 26. Connecting the forward driving pulley -wheels 25 and the pulley wheels 32 are driving belts 33. These belts normally pass loosely over the idlerpulley wheels 28, down and around the pulley wheels 32, up and over the pulley wheels 25 and down and around id brackets 35 adjustable on rods 36 carried in `boxings secured to members of the main loosely over the driving pulley wheels 26 and on .the said brackets 35.

. is connected a lever 38 and on each leverk is a spring pressed detent 39 adapted to enframe. Connecting the rear driving pulley wheels 26 and the pulley wheels 32 are driving belts 37. These belts normally pass down and around the pulley wheels y32 and adapted to bear against one run. of said belts, are idler pulley wheels`38 journaled To each bracket 35 to run loose. By moving the levers 38 np-4 wardly the brackets 35 will move the idler pulley wheels 38 in a direction to bear against and tighten the rear driving belts 37, and also move the idler wheels 34 to a position permitting the belts 33 to run loose.

On the outer end of each countershaft section 29 is secured a spur gear pinion 42 meshing with a s ur gear wheel 43 journaled on a short sha t 44 having a bearing in er pulley wheels 34 journaled on The traction wheels 47, as will be observed,

support the front end of the machine. The rear end of the machine is carried by a caster wheel 5() journaled on a shaft 51 having a bearing in the lower forked ends 52 of an upstanding shaft likemernber 53, journaled in an upstanding bearing member 54 connected with the rear end of the bar 9, and

lsuitably braced from the cross-bar 11. Se-

cured' to and extending laterally from the forked ends 52 of the member 53, are foot rests 54 by means of which theoperator may guide wheel 50 to vthe right or to the left and cause the oscillation of the underframe to swing the 'cultivating instrumentalities to the right or tothe left without disturbing the straightforward direction of the machine itself, as propelled bythe t-raetion wheels 47 L Connected with the bars 15 of the underframe, are rollers 67 which roll on the under,

side of the rear curved bar 43 ofthe main frame, when said under-frame is swung to the right or to the 4left, and 68 denote stops Secured to the curved rear bar3, at-suitable points, with which the rollers` 67 will abut so that only aA limited .swinging movement of the under-frame may be had.

Cultivating nstmmentahtz'esf-These are .preferably the ordinary cultivator shovels 55 connected inthe usual manner with.' beams 56 which extend forwardlyandupwardly and are connected with hangers 57 having a sleeve effect on a cross-rod 58 secured to the bars y9a of the under-frame. As

shown, there are 4two sets of beams 56 on` either side of the center of themachine, producing a two-row cultivator.

The beams 56 may be raised and lowered by the usual means, including levers 58 associated with a toothed segment 59 and hav'- ing a crank :111111.60 connected with the beams 56v by lneansof yieldingly connected rodsf 61. Connected with said levers 58- are other crank arms 62 and to these arms are connected. other arms 63 to which are connected vcoil springs 64, the opposite ends of which are connected ,to the bars 9a of the underfranie. The cultivating instrumentalities described are not unlike those in common use and therefore have only been shown and described in a gei'ieral way.

65 denotes short cross rods connected with the bars 9a and 15 of the under-frame, and secured to and depending from said rods are rods 66 which are adapted to bear against 47 may be driven in a reverse or'baclrwardi direction through the pulley wheels 26 and 32, the belts 37 and gearing aforesaid, between the counter shaft sections Q9 and said wheels 47.

To turn the machine, the operator may disconnect the power on one side of the machine by moving the pulley kwheels '34 and 38 to a neutral position and drive onlyv from the other side of the machine which will' cause the machine to swing on the traction wheel 47 not in motion; or the operator may reverse the power on one side by driving through pulleys 26 and 32 and drive forward I on the other side through pulleys and 32.

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This will cause the machine to turn substantially in its own track.

When turning the machine through the driving means, the under frame will swing until the rollers 67 abut with the stops 68 when the entire frame will swing'or turn in unison.

IVhat I claim is:

1. In a machine of the character described, in combination, a main frame, a pair of forward traction driving wheels, a motor mounted on said main frame, mechanism for transmitting power from said motor to both of said wheels to drive the same in unison in a forward or reverse direction, or

to drive either of said wheels independently' of the other, an under-frame having a pivotal connection at its forward end with the forward end of the main frame, a caster wheel connected centrally with the rear end of said under-frame and means for turning said caster wheel whereby said under frame on the main frame, stops for limiting the swinging movement between the main and under-frame, a caster wheel connected centrally with the rear end of said under-frame and having foot rests to adapt the same to be guided by an operator.

3. In a machine of the character described, in combination, a main frame, including a front cross-bar, and a rear curved bar, rods I extending cross-wise of said frame, traction wheels, bearings for said wheels having connection with said rods, anunder-frame including members meeting intermediate the ends of said front cross-bar and having a pivotal connection therewith and free to turn relative thereto, rollers ljournaled on said under-frame and engaging the underside of. said curved rear bar, stops for limiting the swingingl movement between the under and main frames, a single centrally disposed wheel supporting theV rear portion of said under-frame and having a swiveled connection therewith.

'4. A power propelled machine comprising aplatform frame, a pair of hanger frames at each side of said platform frame, a supplemental frame pivotedI to said'platform frame, a caster wheel pivoted to said supple- -mental frame,tra'ction wheels supported in said hanger frames,a pair of jack shafts supported on said platform frame and each extending to one side-thereof over a hanger frame, gearing -operatively connecting theend of each jack shaft over a hanger frame to the traction wheels, a source of power supported on said platform frame, a counter shaft driven by said source of power, and belt connections between said counter shaft Aand said jack shafts for independent forward, neutral or reverse drive.

5. In a power propelled machine, the combination With a traction element supporting a source of power, of a jack shaft, means operatively connecting said jack shaft tosaid traction element, means including toothed gears and pinions, a double face pulley fixed to said jack shaft, a counter shaft operatively connected' to said source ofpower, a pair of pulleys fixed to said counter shaft, an idler pulley suitably supported in line with a pulley on said counter shaft, a pair of tightener pulleys suitably supported in line with said double face pulley, a belt passing around one of said counter shaft pulleys' and said jack shaft pulley and against which one of said tightener pulleys may be moved and a belt passing around said double pulley, and the other of said tightener pulleys and over said idler and other counter shaft pulleys.

6. In a device of the class described, a main frame; tractor wheels located adjacent the front end of said main frame for propelling the same; steering mechanism carried by said main frame and cooperating with said wheels to steer the same; a supplemental frame pivoted to said main frame adjacentthe front end of the latter, and adapted to swing relative thereto; and a castor wheel whereby the rear end of said supplemental frame is supported, and whereby said supplemental frame may be guided independently of said main frame.

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7. In a tractor of the class described, 'a main frame; tractor wheels located adjacent the front end of said frame for supporting `the same; means for driving said wheels independently of vvone another to thereby steer the tractor; a supplemental frame, the

x 'front end of which is pivoted to said main y fr'ame adjacent the front end of the latter;

a -seat carried'by said supplemental frame; and a castor wheel loc-ated adjacent the rear lend of said supplemental frame and operable from said seat, and whereby the rear end ot' said supplemental `frame may be guided independently of said main frame.

8. In a tractor or the class described, a

main frame; traction wheels whereby saidv main frame' is supported; an engine; transmission mechanism through which said tracv tor wheels may be driven each independently of the other, to thereby steer said main 1 iframe; a supplemental frame pivotally conframe; and a castor wheel whereby the rear end of said supplemental frame is vsupported, said wheel being located adjacent said seat so that the same may be operated to swing the rear end of said supplementalv frame from side. to side from said seat.

9. In a tractor of the class-described, a main frame; tractor -wheels whereby sald frame is supported; means for driving said tractor Wheels; steering mechanism associated with said driving means for propelling the tractor; a supplemental Jframe, the front end of which is pivotally connected with said main frame; a castor Wheel whereby the rear end of Said supplemental -frame is supported; a seat carried by said'supplemental frame7 and located adjacent said castor wheel, and'whereby the latter may be operated to guide the rear end of said supplemental frame from said seat; and ground cultivating members carried by said supple-l mental frame.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto affixed my hand this 18 day of August, 1917. j l

WILLIAM N. SPRINGER. 

